Bead seating and inflating device for tubeless tires



Feb. 24, 1959 A. J. vARvARo 2,874,761

BEAD SEATING AND INFLATING DEVICE FOR TUBELESS TIRES Filed Aug. 26. 1954 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent@ Claims. (Cl. IS7-#1.1)

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for inilating tubeless tires.

VA s tubeless tires have come into generaltuse, thle'iutlatingfof 'these tires has presented a problem arising ,from

Vthe diliiculty of establishing initial contactbetween the tire beads and rim seats. The failure of a tire bead to contactits rim bead seat creates an opening between said bead and the rim vthrough which the inflationary air escapes as Vrapidly as it enters the tire.

The present invention solves this problem ina simple and inexpensive manner by providing a cylindrical ring or sleeve-that can be telescoped over the side flange of a rim vand moved into sealing contact with `the adjacent sidewall of a tire to create a closed chamber which will retain air and which will at the Asame time create a set of un` balanced forces on the sidewall to cause it to move into position on the bead seat. As the sidewall moves up toward the seat in'response to the unbalanced' forces the sidewall forces the sleeve away from the rim and the sleeve, as it moves with respect to the rim, maintains a sliding seal with the rim flange to keep the chamber closed and substantially airtight until the bead of the tire finally seats upon its rim seat. The sleeve is then easilyV removed from the rim. y

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an inexpensive, efiicient` and reliable means whereby tubeless tires may be quickly and surely i'nated on a rim. .Y

Another: object Lof the invention is to provide means for inating tubelesstiresrthat will function equally well with all` rims `and tires within the widest ranges of manufacturing tolerances.

These and `other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following descriptionof a `preferred form of the invention, reference being had to themaccompanying drawing in which:h v d,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a tubeless tire mounted on a rim together with a sleeve embodying the present invention fitted over the rim and in contact with the tire at the beginning of the inating step;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 1 showing the relative positions of the tire, rim and sleeve just as the tire bead makes sealing contact with the rim seat;

Figure 3 is a section of the sleeve of Figures 1 and 2 showing on an enlarged scale the construction of the sleeve;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified form `of the invention.

Figure 5 is a view similar to'Figures 3 and 4 showing yet another form of the invention.

The invention is described with reference to a tubeless tire which is shown mounted on a drop-center rim 11 in Figure 1. The tire 10 is of conventional construction comprising a tread 12, sidewalls 13 and 14 and beads 15 and 16.V The rim 11 is likewise conventional com- '2',874,7 61 Patented ret. 2471959 pricing adrop-center well portion 17, tire `bead seats 18 and' 19 and side flanges v20 vand 21. An ination .valve 22 is-secured to the rim in an air-tight manner.l -l

When the tire is mounted on the rim in the usual manner, the lower bead 15 can readily be forced by hand into sealing contact with its bead seat 18 but the remaining bead 16 tends to take a position out of contact with the other bead seat 19 leaving an appreciable gap indicated atl 24 between the heel 25 of'the bead 16 and the edge'of the seat, see Figure 1. Under these circumstances, when air under Ypressure is introduced into the tire through the inflation valve 22 the air will escapel at a rapid rate through the gap 24 between the bead and the rim, rendering futile all efforts to inliate the tire.

This difficulty is overcome by the present invention `which comprises a cylindrical sleeve having a diameter which enables it to slide overthe upper side iiange 21 of the adjacent sidewall 14 of the tire while still remaining in contact'with the edge olf-the side flange. When the V- sleeve is in this position it defines a closed chamber -bounded Yby the drop-center rim, the tire and the lower s portion of the sleeve spanning the distance between the side ilange and the tire. When air is introduced throughV the inflation valve, it will be coniined within this closed chamber since the sleeve 30 maintains a seal with the sidewall 14 of the tire and with the side flange 21qof t the rim.

As soon as air pressure builds up in this chamber the forces acting upon the sidewall V14 become unbalanced,

the' internal air pressure in the chamber acting to movie` the `sidewall upward towards the bead seat 19 and this, pressure is resisted only by the atmospheric pressure,`

acting on the tire and by that small amount of internal pressure acting on the sidewall of the tire radially inside upwardly but it maintains a sliding, substantially air-tight' contact with the edge of the side iiange and continuesl to define a closed chamber until the tire bead makes seal-v ing contact with the rim.V As soon as this happens the' tire' and rim act as an air container without the help'of the sleeve and any further increase of air pressure within the tire will cause the bead 16 to move outwardly intoV final position on the seat. Y t Preferably the sleeve 30 comprises an endless sheet metalring insert 31 which is coated onbothsides Awith.

an outer' layer 32 of vinyl plastic or the like. The inside diameter of the metal ring insert is appreciably larger than the largest rim flange diameter with which the sleeve is to be used and the layer 32 has a thickness preferably in the order of about MW-E's". The dimensions of the sleeve and the resilience and the compressibility of the outer layer 32 are such as to permit the sleeve to be used with rims of minimum side flange diameter as well as with rims of maximum diameter, the differences in diameter being compensated for by the varying compression in the layer 32. Thus the sleeve can be universally used with all rims of the same nominal size, within the range of manufacturing tolerances Afor such rims. The vinyl plastic preferably extends -around the end of the sleeve so as to provide a resilient cushion to improve the sealing contact of the sleeve with the sidewall of the tire. In order to anchor the plastic coating securely to the metallic insert, the insert is perforated and the plastic extends through such perforations to form a unitary structure.

It is, of course, not necessary that the sleeve have the particular construction described above. In some cases the inside of the sleeve may be coated with a layer 34 As this movement'of 3, of sponge rubb`er las indicated in Figure 4. In other cases the-metallicinsertmay beomitted'and the sleeve, as shown in Figure 5, may be molded entirely of a suitable material 35 such as rubber or plastic.

Various other -modifications will noV doubt occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the Ainventiom'the essential features of which are summarized in'theclaims below.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for'inflating andimounting a tubeless tire on a tire rimwhenone of the beads fails to make sealing contact with the corresponding rim seating surface, comprising pressure'resisting means adaptedto span the gap betweensaid`rim-and the exterior surface ofsaid tire sidewall and forming aclosedfchamber includingrtheinterior of said tire, said means including an axially slideable cylindrical memberfor-making a i'st'sealbysealinggcon-l tact with the exterior surface of" said tire intermediate said beadand rthe tread portion ofsaid tire,vand a second seal intermediate the'rim and saidcylindricalmember to prevent loss of pressure from said closed vchamber during axial sliding movement of said cylindrical member, said closed chamber enclosing a radiallyl inward'portion of said exterior: surface ofsaid tire sidewall and leaving a substantial area of the radially outward portion of said exterior surface exposed to the atmosphere, whereby when uid under pressureis admitted to said chamber, unbalanced fluid pressure forces are imposed on saidsidewall to move saidfsidewall and its bead toward contact withk the rim, said cylindricalmember being axially slideable to permit said movement of said sidewall.

2. A device to aid `the inflating of a tubeless tire when said tire is mounted on a rim, said device comprising a sleeve havng an-inside surface having a diameter not greater than the outside diameter of theY side flange of said rim and adapted-'to seal against said ange in air tight rela-` tion said sleeve having a length sufficient to. span the distance between the adjacent sidewall of said tire and said side ilange when said sleeve is telescoped over said rim and is positioned in contact with the sidewall of said tire the axiallyinner edgeV of said sleeve adapted to seal against the sidewall of said tire, whereby said tire, rim and sleeve comprise-a closed chamber retainingair underpressure duringthe initial stages-ofination and`until the bead of said i sidewall makes Ysealing contact with the bead seat adjacent 'said side flange.V

3. A device to aid the inflating of a tubeless tire when said tir'e--is mounted on arimrsaid devicecomprising aA 4. said side ange when said sleeve is telescoped over said rim and is` positioned in contact with the sidewall of said tire the axially inner edge of said sleeve adapted to seal against the sidewall of said tire, whereby said tire, rim and sleeve comprise a closed chamber retaining air under pressure during the initial stagesof inflation and until the bead of said sidewall makes sealing contact with the bead seat adjacent saidside flange. t Y

4. A device to aid the inating of a tubeless tire when said tire is mounted on-afrinnsaid device comprising a sleeve comprsing a metalliering insert, an inner layer of compressible material about 1A inch thick, theV inside diameter of the surface of said inner layer being not greater than-the outside diameter of the side flange of said rim and adapted to sealagainst'said flange in air tight relation therewith, said sleeve having a length suicient to span the distance between the adjacent sidewall of said. tire and said side ange when said sleeve is telescoped`over said rim and isv positioned. in contact with the sidewall of said tire the axially inner edge of said sleeve` adapted to seal against the sidewallof=said tire, wherebyjsaid'tire, rim and sleeve comprise a closed, substantiall'yV air-tight chamber retaining air under pressure during lthe initialstages of inilation and until the bead of saidsidewall makes sealing contactwith the bead seat adjacent said side ange.

5. A deviceto aid the inilating of a tubeless tire when said.tie is mounted on a rim, saiddevice comprisinga sleeve comprising a metallic ring insert, an inner layer of compressible soft rubber about 1A inch thick, the inside diameter the surface of said inner layer beingnot greater than the outside diameter of the side flange of said rim, said sleeve having a length sufficient to span the distance between the adjacent sidewall of said tire and said'side' flange and adapted to seal against said ange in air tight relation therewith when said s1eeve'is'te1ei scopedfover said rim and is positioned in contact with the sidewallof said tire the axially inner'edge of said sleeve adapted to seal Iagainst the sidewall of said tire, whereby saidtire, rim and sleeve comprise a closed substantially air-tight chamber retaining air under pressure during the initial stages of inflation and .until the beadof said sidewallmakes sealing contact with the bead seatadjacent said side ange.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 400,600v Rockwell Apr. 2, 1899 1,521,342 Thomas et al. Dec. 30, 1924 1,548,136 Grange Aug.v 4, 1925 2,221,056@ Mason Nov. 12, 1940 2,418,849'. Polt Apr. 15,4 1947. 2,518,126i Daw et al. Aug. 8,y 1950 

